History WhatCouldHaveBeen / ComicBooks

* Aqualad was nearly KilledOffForReal during the ''ComicBook/TitansHunt'' storyline, but editor Johnathan Peterson wanted him to live. Golden Eagle was killed in his place just to make the Wildebeest Society seem like a more credible threat. Aqualad's death wound up delayed until ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' before eventually reappearing in the New 52.

** the opening pages were supposed to have [[LawyerFriendlyCameo Superman]] as the virus-carrying superhero from another dimension. Changed to the Sentry with an obvious recolor.

** Mr. Sinister was originally supposed to be the psychic projection of a kid who started stalking [[ComicBook/{{Cyclops}} Scott Summers]] when they were both in an orphanage together, essentially making him a twisted pastiche of the Golden Age [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]]. The fact that he was the invention of a child was the explanation for his (frankly) ridiculous name, and his entire look.

* Creator/AlexRoss came up with a mini-series idea called ''Batboy'', who would have focused on the son of Bruce Wayne and his ally, Superman, Jr. Most of the original heroes would have been retired save Franchise/GreenLantern Hal Jordan with the ComicBook/TeenTitans becoming the Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}}. As the story progressed, Batboy would realize his world was ''too'' perfect before learning the truth - this was Hal Jordan's perfect Earth from ''ComicBook/ZeroHour''.

* After adapting the first Film/{{Transformers}} movie over the course of eight issues, British publisher Titan Comics decided to create an alternate universe story where Megatron had won the battle of Mission City, claimed the AllSpark, and dominated the Earth. The story was only supposed to last five issues - it ended up lasting until the entire comic was rebooted for Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen seventeen issues later.

* Kate Leth and Joe Quinones pitched a mini-series called ''Batman '89'', which would have been set in the universe of [[Film/Batman1989 the]] [[Film/BatmanReturns two]] Creator/TimBurton ''Batman'' movies, while [[CanonDiscontinuity ignoring]] ''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/BatmanAndRobin''. The series would have included unused ideas from the films, like an African-American Robin modeled after Marlon Wayans, and a Two-Face who resembled Creator/BillyDeeWilliams. It also would have introduced "Burtonized" versions of characters who didn't appear in the first two movies, like Batgirl, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. Additionally, Harley Quinn would've been Alicia, the Joker's scarred girlfriend whom he claimed committed suicide. One could draw that conclusion due to the similarities in their masks. While this comic was ultimately never made, Williams would later voice Two-Face in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', with the character designed to resemble him, and the concept of Duke Thomas ensured that there would eventually be a teenaged African-American in the Bat-Family like Wayans' Robin.

* When Alan Grant wrote the first issue of Batman introducing ComicBook/{{Anarky}}, it was shortly after the death of Jason Todd, and he planned for Anarky to become the next ComicBook/{{Robin}}. Plans to introduce Tim Drake were in the works, but Grant didn't know that until he pitched his idea to DC. Of course, YMMV on whether having Anarky as Robin would have been better or worse, but it would certainly have been different.
* Speaking of Jason Todd, ''Batman'' [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily #428]] had two panels drawn up - [[ComicBook/ADeathInTheFamily one for Jason living and one for him dying]]. The one for him living had a jubilant Batman crying out to the heavens "Jason's ''alive!'' Thank God." And it's been said that the phone calls between saving him and killing him were very close, so who knows what would have happened when Danny O'Neil walked down those halls carrying that panel instead of the one we all know of today...Even more, when news of the phone calls came out, many people had made a mistake - they had thought that it was ''[[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick]]'' under the axe, not Jason. Thus, many of the phone calls were to save or kill a character who hadn't been in that identity for about six years in real life. Who knows what the outcome could have been if they hadn't had that mistake? If the fans had voted for Jason to live, he would have endured a long period of recovery, after which he would retire as Robin. His role afterwards would have been as a commentator of sorts for the DC Universe.

* Damian Wayne was supposed to die at the end of the original ''Batman and Son'' story arc, with Creator/GrantMorrison saying that the idea was to have him start off as a complete brat, only to pull a HeroicSacrifice after being inspired by his father's heroism. Morrison changed his mind and instead opted to make Damian the new Robin, believing that killing him after making sure the audience was invested would make his death much more meaningful and shocking, which eventually happened when Damian's older clone, the Heretic, killed him. Also, Morrison wanted Damian to be KilledOffForReal, but the character's popularity led to him being resurrected not too long after ''[[ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Batman, Inc.]]'' finished up.

* According to sources, DC was actively planning for [[ComicBook/{{Azrael}} Jean-Paul Valley]] to take over as Batman during the ''ComicBook/{{Knightfall}}'' storyline. Fans had actually liked JP and DC was ready to fully phase out Bruce. However, when Abattoir was killed near the end of ''Knightquest'', his popularity quickly tanked and fans demanded Bruce back in the saddle.

* Creator/TomKing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqA5OhFCWNU revealed]] in an interview that a lot of the more controversial stuff in his run happened due to the ExecutiveMeddling by Creator/DanDiDio. It was originally planned for Alfred's brutal NeckSnap from ComicBook/{{Bane}} to be a Scarecrow fear gas hallucination, but it was changed to an actual death to Batman's longtime surrogate father. ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}'s [[BoomHeadshot bullet through the brain]] from [=KGBeast=] would've instantly been healed by ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} rather than him having a long time with amnesia (in fact, this was [=DiDio=]'s ''third'' attempt to get rid of Nightwing, after failing to with ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'' and ''ComicBook/ForeverEvil''). He also confirmed that the ComicBook/{{Flashpoint}} version of Batman / Thomas Wayne wasn't going to be as prominent as he was in the final version, but King was mandated to increase his role, culminating in the character's FaceHeelTurn and alliance with Bane.

* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} was almost killed by Alexander Luthor Jr. in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. It's interesting how close this came to happening. Creator/DanDiDio handed the death down as an editorial mandate, but Creator/GeoffJohns flat-out refused to kill Dick Grayson off (seeing as he is one of the longest-existing comic book characters in American comics). ComicBook/{{Superboy}} was eventually killed off instead (at a time when DC was in a legal battle with the estate of Jerry Siegel over rights to the character). The plan was for the recently-resurrected [[ComicBook/RedHood Jason Todd]] to succeed Dick as a DarkerAndEdgier Nightwing – the ComicBook/OneYearLater relaunch instead had Jason unsuccessfully try to usurp the mantle from Dick.

* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} was almost killed by Alexander Luthor Jr. in ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis''. It's interesting how close this came to happening. Creator/DanDiDio handed the death down as an editorial mandate, but Creator/GeoffJohns flat-out refused to kill Dick Grayson off (seeing as he is one of the longest-existing comic book characters in American comics). ComicBook/{{Superboy}} was eventually killed off instead (and he got resurrected later on). His death scene was rewritten to put him in a coma while Jason Todd temporarily took the mantle from Dick Grayson.

* In 2003 Creator/MarkWaid and Mike Wieringo put in a proposal for a revamp of Aquaman. Rather than going the DarkerAndEdgier route like Creator/PeterDavid, they'd wanted to do a LighterAndSofter take playing on the wonderment and majesty of the ocean. It would have featured a Russian marine biologist named Yelena as an AudienceSurrogate, with the goal being to remind people why the idea of having epic adventures underwater seemed so cool before ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'' [[AudienceColoringAdaptation ruined]] [[AdaptationalWimp it]].

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' debuting his and Mera's infant daughter Andy just in time for her to grow up to be Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDiDio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward. However, the stories in ''Future State are still largely based on ideas [=DiDio=] had for 5G in spite of the repurpose, an example being [[spoiler:his CreatorsPest Wally West being possessed and turned into a villain]].

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' debuting his and Mera's infant daughter Andy just in time for her to grow up to be Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* In an example of how ExecutiveMeddling and changes from an initial pitch [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools can be a good thing]], had Tony Isabella not pitched ''ComicBook/BlackLightning'', DC's first plan for their first black male superhero was to be the Black Bomber- a white supremacist ex- soldier who underwent an experiment that would turn him into a super-powered black man whenever the powers would activate. The two scripts that were completed were stated to be very embarrassing in plotline, with the basic formula being that the main character would transform to save someone in need, but after de-transforming, he'd react in disgust and racial slurs at the fact that he'd saved a black person. The main character would also have two girlfriends (a white woman and a black woman for each identity) who would be aware of his secret and transformations. After Tony Isabella read the scripts, he convinced editorial to reconsider, and was given the opportunity to pitch his superhero instead. However, in Creator/{{Dwayne McDuffie}}'s run of ''Justice League'', an alternate universe version of the League had a member named "Brown Bomber", as a MythologyGag to the above failed concept. He was depicted as a bald white man in a hoodie, and would transform into a super-powered black man but could only use his powers for an hour. But this appearance also underwent some revision by editorial: Originally, there was to be a punchline where Brown Bomber asked ComicBook/{{Vixen}} if [[NWordPrivileges he could now "use the N-word"]] , to which Vixen would reply "No, you absolutely can't". The Brown Bomber's question was edited out when the issue made it to print, but Vixen's response wasn't, leading to what looked like an awkward beat panel beforehand and Vixen responding to nothing. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rVlYmYabaos/TC5tyikpv5I/AAAAAAAAB0M/th44qRnkSWk/s1600/bomber+2.jpg Here is the edited version]]. One reading is that she's objecting to him calling his power "C.P.T."; alternatively, it could be read as her objecting to his entire concept and existence.

* In an example of how ExecutiveMeddling and changes from an initial pitch [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools can be a good thing]], had Tony Isabella not pitched ''ComicBook/BlackLightning'', DC's first plan for their first black male superhero was to be the Black Bomber- a white supremacist ex- soldier who underwent an experiment that would turn him into a super-powered black man whenever the powers would activate. The two scripts that were completed were stated to be very embarrassing in plotline, with the basic formula being that the main character would transform to save someone in need, but after de-transforming, he'd react in disgust and racial slurs at the fact that he'd saved a black person. The main character would also have two girlfriends (a white woman and a black woman for each identity) who would be aware of his secret and transformations. After Tony Isabella read the scripts, he convinced editorial to reconsider, and was given the opportunity to pitch his superhero instead. However, in Creator/{{Dwayne McDuffie}}'s run of ''Justice League'', an alternate universe version of the League had a member named "Brown Bomber", as a MythologyGag to the above failed concept. He was depicted as a bald white man in a hoodie, and would transform into a super-powered black man but could only use his powers for an hour. But this appearance also underwent some revision by editorial: Originally, there was to be a punchline where Brown Bomber asked ComicBook/{{Vixen}} if [[NWordPrivileges he could now "use the N-word"]] , to which Vixen would reply "No, you absolutely can't". The Brown Bomber's question was edited out when the issue made it to print, but Vixen's response wasn't, leading to what looked like an awkward beat panel beforehand and Vixen responding to nothing. [[http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rVlYmYabaos/TC5tyikpv5I/AAAAAAAAB0M/th44qRnkSWk/s1600/bomber+2.jpg Here is the edited version]]. It could vaguely be concluded that she is saying that he can't call his power "C.P.T.", although that barely makes more sense than her responding to nothing.

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' debuting his and Mera's newborn daughter Andy just in time for her to grow up to be Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' debuting his and Mera's newborn daughter Andy just in time for her to become the 5G Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* After adapting the first Film/{{Transformers}} movie over the course of eight issues, British publisher Titan Comics decided to create an alternate universe story where Megatron had won the battle of Mission City, claimed the AllSpark, and dominated the Earth. The story was only supposed to last five issues - it ended up lasting until the entire comic was rebooted for Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen seventeen issues later.

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' featuring his and Mera's newborn daughter Andy just in time for her to become the 5G Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman; and Kelly Sue [=DeConnick's=] ''Aquaman'' fgeaturing his and Mera's newborn daughter Andy just in time for her to become the 5G Aquawoman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* In late 2019 and early 2020, there were major rumblings about DC Comics' latest big relaunch, including a revamped timeline which spanned from World War I to today that saw Wonder Woman, not Superman, as the first DC Comics hero. Additionally, the return of more of the pre-New 52 canon was teased, such as Comicbook/{{Cyborg}} once again having been a member of the Teen Titans. Rumors circulated that this would lead to a new Crisis spinning out of ''ComicBook/FlashForward'' which would spawn "Generation 5", which would [[LegacyCharacter see new heroes donning classic hero mantles]], with such rumored ideas being ComicBook/JonathanSamuelKent taking up Superman's role and the former ComicBook/{{Batwing}} Luke Fox becoming Batman. A Free Comic Book Day comic entitled "Generation Zero: Gods Among Us" would set things up followed by two one-shots in the following months entitled "Generation One" and "Generation Two" with two more presumed to follow suit. The end of ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' had a sequence where Doctor Manhattan looks into the future and vaguely references something called "5G," presumably tying into the "Generation 5" concept. Certain books at the time also began laying the groundwork for this, such as Steve Orlando's ''Wonder Woman'' run introducing a tribe of Amazons who lived in South America in order to set up the future debut of Yara Flor, who would have become the 5G Wonder Woman. Creator/TomKing also stated at the time that his ''Comicbook/BatmanRebirth'' run was meant to set up 5G in some capacity, with fans and critics pointing to ''Batman Annual'' #2, which briefly showed a future where an elderly Bruce Wayne was retired from crimefighting and married to Selina Kyle, as further evidence of the new timeline aging up some of DC's characters. However, before any of that could be set into motion, Creator/DanDidio was suddenly fired in February 2020 followed by the UsefulNotes/CoronavirusDisease2019Pandemic bringing the comic industry to a screeching halt. When DC resumed production and began releasing comics again, none of the "Generation" titles were released at all. Even more, Wally was now a major player in ''ComicBook/DarkNightsDeathMetal'' with Creator/ScottSnyder suggesting that this story was the "new Crisis". This seems to be supported by the fact that the collected edition of ''Flash Forward'' containing the unprinted ''Generation Zero'' story ends with Wally deciding to face the Batman Who Laughs, leading into ''Death Metal''. Further dashing this original storyline was the announcement of the one-shot ''Generations: Shattered'', which instead features heroes from various points in history teaming up with "the original" Batman (re: the one from ''Detective Comics'' #27). The titles that would have made up the 5G relaunch were eventually repurposed as a group of mini-series under a new banner dubbed ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'', which was now changed to depict a ''possible'' future of the DC Universe rather than the new status quo going forward.

* Lots of storylines from the ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehog'' comics end up like this, most notably an alternate version of the "Endgame" series where Sally ''was'' actually killed instead of put in a coma, a storyline involving a secret romance between NICOLE and A.D.A.M, and the very start of the "Mobius: X Years Later" storyline, dealing with the crisis that Locke [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke "prepared" his son Knuckles]] to defend against, as per prophecy (hint: it involves an alien Eggman {{Expy}}). Oh, let's not forget the comic's recent WordOfGay reveal...

* At the same time Creator/ArchieComics was pitching possible comics towards Capcom, leading to the creation of ''ComicBook/MegaMan'', they also approached Creator/{{Nintendo}} with possible comics ideas. ''[[ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]'' artist Tracy Yardley sketched up a number of concept arts using characters from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', and ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}''. Sadly, Nintendo turned them down.

** During Creator/WaltSimonson and David Michelinie's run on ''ComicBook/MarvelStarWars'', the two came up with an idea for a plot where the Empire would build a second Death Star. Lucasfilm vetoed the idea and refused to give an explanation in order to avoid spoiling the plot of ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Simsonson and Michelinie altered the story slightly to replace the new Death Star with a different Imperial battle station called the Tarkin.

* ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis'' was originally supposed to bring back the classic ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}, who would've replaced the poorly-received [[LegacyCharacter A.J. Curry]] version of Aquaman that was floating around at the time. In Morrison's own words, he and J.G. Jones had wanted to bring back an Aquaman "we could all understand", but they didn't provide an explanation for how he'd returned or regained his iconic appearance, with the assumption being that another writer would fill in the details later. DC ended up scrapping the plan in favor of the then-upcoming ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' crossover, leading to Aquaman's cameo appearance in ''Final Crisis'' becoming an AbortedArc.

** The Legion's return was originally being set up in ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'' but due to all the delays, Bendis was given the chance to reintroduce the Legionnaires in his ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' run. ''Doomsday Clock'' followed suit by erasing its Saturn Girl and featuring Bendis' Legion appearing in the last issue.

* There was yet another version conceptualized for Superman's newspaper strip: [[OlderThanTheyThink Just like in]] ComicBook/SupermanRedSon, Supes would have been a child sent into the past by the last man on earth, his father, to save him from [[ApocalypseHow the earth's destruction]]. Superman would have powers due to being on a higher {{Evolutionary Level|s}} than present-day humans, and would struggle to find acceptance due to his powers making him different from everybody else. This version [[MeaningfulName truly would have been]] [[RedBaron a "Man of Tomorrow"]].

* Frances Kane was to become a superhero around the time of ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', with a concept design even appearing in DC Sampler, but this was put on hold after George Perez left NTT. The idea of Frances taking on a costumed identity did come to pass years later, though her color scheme was tweaked to be magenta and white rather than Perez's intended red and blue outfit for her. A proposed codename for her was long believed to be "Polara", although Perez says there was a different name in place (though he can't remember the exact one). In the final product, she took the name "Magenta" (after her costume color and as an anagram pun on her magnet powers) and became a ''villain'' as a result of undergoing a FaceHeelTurn from a SplitPersonality. It wouldn't be until the New 52, nearly ''thirty'' years after Crisis on Infinite Earths, that Frances would finally be a hero on the Teen Titans, specifically the team lead by Dick Grayson that was RetGone after their fight with Mister Twister.

* JT Krul's run was supposed to feature the new Aqualad from ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' joining the team, as well as the Teen Titans facing off against ComicBook/{{Deathstroke}}'s new team of AntiHero Titans. Both of these plot threads were hinted at in Krul's first issue, but were abandoned when his run was CutShort. Kaldur would later finally join the Teen Titans team lead by Damian Wayne in DC Rebirth.

* ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions'' was originally going to be a tie-in to the 1980 Olympics. However, the project ended up in DevelopmentHell after President UsefulNotes/JimmyCarter decided to boycott the games, thus rendering the crossover pointless. It was revived two years later and the premise was changed to remove the Olympic tie-in aspect.

** The original idea for the series had ComicBook/LukeCage as one of the last surviving heroes, with the idea being that his unbreakable skin made him immune to the infection. This was changed when Kirkman found out that Greg Land had already drawn Cage as a zombie in ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'', something that hadn't been specified in Creator/MarkMillar's script.

* ''ComicBook/WorldWarHulk'' was supposed to lead to a new team book called ''The Renegades'', which would have starred ComicBook/AmadeusCho, [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]], Angel of the ComicBook/XMen, Namora and the Carmilla Black version of the Scorpion. Despite the team getting a PoorlyDisguisedPilot in the pages of ''ComicBook/IncredibleHulk'', editorial ultimately passed on the series.

* Had ''ComicBook/AForce'' continued, the next arc would've been a team-up with an "A-list" Avenger, later revealed to be Black Widow, and would have seen Miss ComicBook/AmericaChavez join A-Force as the team's replacement for She-Hulk. The following arc would have revealed Dazzler was briefly the queen of an alien planet at some point, and her former subjects would now beg her to return.

* ''X-Men'' #12 was a "tryout" book for legendary artist Creator/AlexToth, as Creator/StanLee had wanted to see if he could get Toth to join Marvel. Toth ended up not liking the "Marvel Method," and thus declined to do more work for the series. Toth's original design for TheJuggernaut was also far different and much more over the top, complete with spiked nipples for some reason. He was asked to tone down and simplify the costume, and that's how we ended up with the iconic Juggy we all know and love.

** Instead of Eddie Brock, the ComicBook/{{Venom}} symbiote was originally supposed to go from Parker to a woman who had a grudge of her own against Spider-Man. The story was to be that a cabbie watching Spider-Man as he was driving hit and kills her husband trying to flag him down, she was also pregnant at the time, but lost the child. Marvel at the time, also felt that readers would not view a woman as a physical threat to Spidey (nevermind the fact that a woman with the Venom symbiote would by definition be physically ''stronger'' than Spidey, just like scrawny Cletus Kasady is with the Carnage symbiote), and in turn became something of a SelfFulfillingProphecy in that Spidey doesn't have many memorable female villains [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/05/11/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-50/ For kicks, here's the article]].

* When Creator/JMichaelStraczynski thought up his ridiculously controversial ''[[ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan Sins Past]]'' storyline which revealed that [[spoiler:[[ILetGwenStacyDie Gwen Stacy]] had a child with Norman Osborn]], he planned for Peter Parker to be [[spoiler:the childrens' father]], but Joe Quesada, the EIC of Marvel, [[ExecutiveMeddling felt that]] this would [[NotAllowedToGrowUp age the character]] too much and suggested Norman Osborn instead.

* Creator/JackKirby's ''ComicBook/NewGods'' were originally going to debut in Marvel, and would have either tied in with ComicBook/TheMightyThor or ComicBook/TheInhumans. However before plans had taken their final shape, Kirby got fed up with his situation at Marvel (being co-creator of at least half their money-makers with no creative custody of them) and jumped ship to DC, taking them with him.
** Likewise, Jack created ComicBook/{{Kamandi}} because DC failed to get the license to do a ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' comic.

* When SEGA finally pulled the plug on the franchise, a few stories were left untold as they were solicited prior to the lengthy hiatus that lead to the cancellation. In ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', the Freedom Fighters would have went their separate ways for a vacation, with Sonic dropping in on Honey the Cat and later, Mighty and Ray for a flashback issue retelling ''VideoGame/SegaSonicTheHedgehog''. ''Sonic Universe'' would have focused on the individual Freedom Fighters in solo stories. Antoine's story would have given him a new look, possibly a SuperMode, while Sally's would have had her and Tails approach Dr. Elidy to help save Nicole.

* Ronin from ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' was originally supposed to have been ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} in disguise, with early promotional material even strongly hinting at a connection between the two heroes. Creator/BrianMichaelBendis was forced to change his plans at the last second when Creator/EdBrubaker requested permission to start his ''Daredevil'' run with the title character in prison, which obviously made it impossible for Daredevil to be a member of the Avengers. Bendis ended up choosing Maya Lopez as Ronin when he realized she [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute had all of Daredevil's martial arts skills and his knowledge of the Japanese underworld]].

* Joshua Hale Fialkov was hit with an editorial mandate demanding that he kill off John Stewart and then build a storyline around the investigation of his murder. Fialkov refused to do so, and walked away from the book as a result. After the reason for Fialkov's departure was leaked by Bleeding Cool, the resultant backlash from the fans caused DC to nix the idea.

* During his time working on Udon's ''ComicBook/StreetFighter'' books, Jim Zub pitched a ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' comic to Marvel.